Carton cutter



Sept. 11, 1962 G. E. WISE CARTON CUTTER Filed Sept. 9, 1960 UnitedStates Patent D 3,052,977 CARTON CUTTER Glenn E. Wise, 591 13th St,Vashington 4, D.C. Filed Sept. 9, 1964), Ser. No. 54,940 6 Claims. (Cl.302) This invention relates to a cutting device, and, more particularly,to a carton cutter or slitter having a blade and means for guiding theblade along a desired cutting path. Further, the guiding means isretractable against spring pressure so that it may be disabled whendesired. Also, when the guiding means is in its guiding position, as itis when the cutter is not in use, the guiding means cooperates withother portions of the cutter to house the blade sufi'iciently tosubstantially prevent the blade from damaging persons or property.

One object of the invention is to provide a device for opening paper,cardboard or corrugated board type cartons.

Another object of the invention is to provide a carton cutter which issimple to use, and one in which the cutting blade is substantiallyprevented from performing unwanted cutting, scoring or scratching ofpersons or property.

Another object of the invention is to provide a carton cutter with meansfor guiding the cutter along a desired path.

Other objects will be apparent from the remainder of the specificationand from the drawings.

In the drawings which form a part of this application:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevation of the invention, and shown in phantomlines are portions of a carton in a position to be cut and opened;

FIGURE 3 is an elevation taken from the left-hand side of the inventionas seen in FIGURE 2, and showing, in phantom lines, how the guidingmeans would appear when retracted;

FIGURE 4 is an elevation taken from the right-hand side of the inventionas seen in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of FIGURE 1, but with thebladeaholding screw shown in full;

FIGURE 6 is sectional view taken on the line 66 of FIGURE 4; and,

FIGURE 7 is a three-dimensional showing of the cutting blade employed inthe invention.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, my cutter includes abody, designated generally as 1, a guide, designated generally as 2, anda blade, designated generally as 3.

Body 1, more particularly, is preferably a unitary casting and consistsof a base portion 4, a spring and pivot housing 5, an upturned lip 6, ahandle portion 7 and a blade mounting portion 8. The handle portion 7 issubstantially L-shaped, and the end of the short leg of the L extendsupward from the rear center of upper surface of base portion 4. Thelonger leg of the L-shaped portion 7 extends forwardly from the shortleg, and joins near the front of the cutter with the top of mountingportion 8.

Mounting portion 8, as best seen in FIGURES 1 to 4, lies parallel to thefront end of my cutter, and lateral to the 'handle portion 7. In theoutboard face 9 of portion 8 is formed a vertically orientedblade-receiving groove 10, and through the base of groove 10 and inportion 8 is formed a horizontally disposed internally threaded hole 11which is designed to receive the threaded shank of blade-holding screw12, best seen in FIGURE 5.

Aligned with the bottom of groove 10 is a vertically disposedrectangular aperture 13 in base portion 4.

3,052,977 Patented Sept. 11, 1962 Through this aperture 13 passes blade3 as will be described.

Rearwardly of mounting portion 8 and parallel thereto, on base portion4, is located a substantially circular horizontally disposed spring andpivot housing 5. Extending through the length of housing 5 and thenceinto and through a major portion of the diameter of the bottom end ofthe short leg of handle portion 7 is a bore 14, and aligned with theaxis of bore 14, but extending on through the unbored portibn of theaforementioned end of the handles short leg is a journal formingaperture 15, for receiving a guide pivot on guide 2, as to be described.Directly below and parallel to aperture 15 is formed a smaller aperture16 for receiving a spring tang.

Guide 2, more particularly, includes an elongated guide portion 17 whichis disposed along and perpendicular to the edge of the blade side ofbase portion 4. Guide por tion :17 carries at its rear end an integralsubstantially circular pivot carrying portion 18. The diameter ofportion 18 is equal to the outside diameter of housing 5. Extendinginwardly from portion 18, and concentric to the central axis thereof, isan integral circular outboard guide pivot 19, which, as seen in FIGURES3 and 6, is journalled in the outboard end of bore 14. Extendinginwardly from the inboard face of pivot 19, and concentric to thecentral axis thereof, is an integral circular inboard guide pivot 20,the free end of which passes through and is journalled in aperture 15and is peened over as at 21 to, thus, pivotally mount guide 2 relativeto body 1.

Located within bore 14 and surrounding pivot 20 is a spring 32 havingopposite tangs 22 and 23. Tang 22, in my assembled cutter, is receivedand held in aperture 16, and tang 23, after the spring has been stressedso as to continually urge the guide 2 clockwise as seen in FIGURE 3,'isplaced into a notch 24 for-med in the inboard periphery of pivot 19.

In order to limit the angular rotation of guide 2 to the extent desired,an inwardly extending tab 25 is bent from the top of guide portion 17.This tab prevents portion 17 from swinging downwardly farther than thefull line position seen in FIGURE 3 due to engagement of tab 25 againstthe top side of base portion 4. The normal swing of guide 2 is thusquite limited and lies be tween the full and phantom positions seen inFIGURE 2.

The blade which I prefer to employ is designated 3 and includes anelongated body 26 in which is formed a longitudinal adjusting slot 27and at one end of which is formed an inclined sharpened cutting edge 28.When the blade 3 is installed in the cutter, as shown in FIGURES 1 to 5,the cutting edge 28 faces rearwardly. By means of screw :12 the extentof protrusion of blade 3 below portion 4, and, thus, the depth of cutmay be varied.

C in FIGURE 2 denotes generally and in phantom lines a portion of acardboard, or the like, carton. Numeral 29 represents part of thecartons top and numeral 30 represents a portion of one of the sides ofcarton C integral with but perpendicular to top 29.

In using my cutter, if a user desired to sever the top portion 29 fromside portion 30 as closely adjacent side portion 30 as practicable, hewould position the cutter as seen in FIGURE 2 wherein the inboardvertical side of guide portion 17 is in engagement with the outboardvertical side of portion 30, and wherein blade 3 penetrates down throughportion 29 and lies just inside of side 30. Pulling rearwardly on thecutter While maintaining guide portion 117 in full engagement withportion 29 will now neatly sever 29 from 30.

Alternately, if the user prefers, for some reason, to form a slit in topportion 29 some distance inwardly from side portion 30, he would placethe blade above the location on portion 30 where he desired to make aslit.

He would then push down on handle 7 and, as he did so, the front end ofguide portion :17 would swing upwardly against spring 32s biasing actionallowing blade 3 to penetrate through portion 30. A rearward pull on thecutter would now form the desired slit. The rear lower curved faces ofhousing 5 and lip 6 prevent the rear edge of the cutter body portion .4from digging into a surface being cut during rearward movement of thecutter.

When the cutter is not in use, it can be laid upon a flat surfacewithout danger of the blades damaging the said surface. This followsbecause guide portion 17 will be biased toits down-ward limit and theportion of blade 3 which is protruding below base portion 4 will beextending harmlessly into the inverted valley formed by the bottom ofbase portion 4 and the inboard face of guide portion 17. Such partialhousing of blade 3 also serves to substantially protect a user fromcoming into harmful contact with the cutting edge 28 of blade 3.

It is obvious that many changes might be made in the illustratedembodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof.For example, other blade types might be employed, and other guidebiasing means might be employed.

Having now described the invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure'by Letters Patent is:

l. A carton cutter of the type described comprising: a base plate; ahandle extending upwardly from said base plate; ablade; means foradjustably mounting said blade relative to said plate; a guide; stopmeans on said guide adapted to contact the top of said plate; andspring-biased pivot means joining said guide to said plate whereby saidguide is normally urged into a position wherein said stop means contactssaid plate as mentioned.

2. A carton cutter of the character described comprising: a :base platehaving a bottom side and a top side; a handle rigidly attached to saidtop side and extending upwardly. therefrom; means for adjustablymounting a blade relative to said plate; a guide; means rotatablymounting said guide relative to said plate; and biasing means for urgingsaid guide in one direction of rotation.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said bottom side of said plate issmooth and including stop means on said guide for limiting rotationthereof.

4. A carton cutter comprising: a base plate having a bottom side; ahandle rigidly attached to said base plate; a blade; means mounting saidblade for adjustment relative to said plate; a guide; means mountingsaid guide for movement relative to said plate; biasing means for urgingsaid guide in one direction of movement; and stop means for limitingmovement of said guide.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said plate includes an aperture,said blade extending through said aperture and protruding below saidbottom side of said base plate.

6. A carton cutter of the character described comprising: a base portionincluding a substantially horizontal bottom, a top, a front end, a rearend, and at least one substantially straight elongated lateral side; anelongated guide including a front end, a rear end and a substantiallyvertically oriented guiding face, said face confronting and lyingclosely adjacent said substantially straight side of said base portion;means pivotally mounting the rear end of said guide to the rear end ofsaid base portion in such manner that said guide is mounted for swingingmovement in a first plane which lies substantially perpendicular to saidbottom; biasing means for urging the front end of said guide downwardlyrelative to said base portion; stop means for limiting downward movementof the front end of said guide; a handle attached to said base portionand extending upwardly therefrom; a blade including a cutting edge; andmeans mounting said blade relative to said base portion in such mannerthat said blade lies in a plane substantially parallel to said firstplane and at least a portion of said cutting edge faces the rear end ofsaid base portion and lies below said bottom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,363,579 Feltz Dec. 28, 1920

